12 comments:

Very nice, although I think sort of "homey" looking for such formal bones. Maybe, as Ancient suggested regarding another house, the Henry Pomeroy Davisons chose their decorator based on the decorator's discretion regarding a room no magazine photographer was ever going to see?

I noted there are grandfather clocks: 1) on the staircase landing, 2) in the living room, & 3) in the dining room; in addtion to the small mantel clock in the library -- makes me conclude someone liked discreetly keeping track of the time at 'Peacock Point.'

Doug, I find these interiors to be exactly of their time, following the English model so beloved by the WASP nobility of the era (then and now), with good floral linens and cretonne and big comfy sofas, dog friendly. One sees the very same sensibility at Mallow, Old Westbury, and countless other L.I. houses. In both decoration and landscaping, I have always enjoyed the aesthetic of blowsy informality overflowing the boundaries (although my own decorating taste leans toward tailored and strict). These are the rooms of people who were sure of themselves. (And, I hasten to point out, it is self-evident that a photographer was to see them, as they were widely published in their era)

I have always loved the exterior of Peacock Point. Very sad to see it gone. The lived in look is a definite "I dont care what you think" statement.

Around Locust Valley it was common to spot the wealthiest neighbors since they were the ones driving the 10 year old, dirt covered station wagons with the chrome horse mounted on the hood. All the "wanna bees" were driving the shiny black Mercedes.

I was just telling someone this morning about a former boss of mine whose still preserved family money came from textile mills in Mass. He would have his suit jacket off and lean back in his big desk chair with his fingers intertwined behind his head and often the elbows would be worn out of his expensive shirts. And by "worn out" I mean worn through -- holes. And I thought only a really rich person could get away with that.

Having grown up in Locust Valley (and waited on many of the wealthiest, or delivered groceries to their estate staff via the service entrances) I concur with the observations above. These people were so well bred and mannered, by and large, you would never see anyone shouting about their wealth. Good clothing worn forever and those station wagons - a Saturday morning at Britton's Hardware on Forest Avenue in LV would be the place to rub well worn elbows as many of the area's long time residents were buying nuts and bolts for repairs needed "back at the house" or a replacement part for that decades old riding mower. Thank you so much for posting the links about the Davison family history - wonderful to read about how the family lived and worked.

"I love the fact that so many of the pictures are large and simply framed."

Indeed. Quite possibly the panels were set directly into the boiserie over several of the mantels and, as we saw, there in the stairwell as well; that, followed by surrounding applied molding to give the appearance of a frame. I'm beginning to wonder if there might have been a theme of peacocks running throughout the wall art. Wish I could enlarge better, but no complaints intended!